am I correct in saying they are primarily caused by the captive cotter style of clutch housing?
Hello Grame
A warm welcome to these forums from me.
I don't know if the original cone clutch design is the primary cause.
I do feel it is a combination of factors that have come into play:-
- size of the machine [larger the width; more likely failure]
- the specification of the steel in the rails
- the hours of use
- the rpm range the machine was run at
- the mowing conditions
- maintenance of loose bolts and nuts
It really is a contested issue.
The cotter style is fine if the cotter is kept tight.
Any bicycle kid from yesteryear would know that cotter pins do loosen
over time. Scott Bonnar never used nyloc nuts on the cotter. Perhaps that
would have made a difference...
Rover changed to square head screw in the 1980s, when production moved
to Brisbane. The thing is, they retained the original die casting,
but without machining to take a cotter pin. In other words, some have argued,
the clutch housing was not balanced. I don't know.
Also do I leave the bed knife attached to the sole plate for sharpening or remove it?
It's best you leave the bedknife attached.
The main thing is that the new blade is faced
after fitment.
Too many repairers do not do this!
Hope this helps.--------------------
Jack
